The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colours, and Their Applications to the Arts; Including Painting, Interior Decoration, Tapestries, Carpets, M

by Michel Eugène Chevreul

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1860 edition. Excerpt: ... INDEX. % The figures refer to the paragraphs, and not to the pages. A. Absorption of light by bodies, 4, 5 Accidental colours, 121; synonymous with complementary, 123 Esthetics of coloured objects, 829 Antagonism, 967 Application of the law of contrast to the hypothesis of primary and secondary colours, 76 April, arrangement of flowers in the month of, 755 Arabesques in decoration, 654-5 Architecture, errors in teaching, 932 employment of colours in Egyptian, 540; in Gothic, 546; in Grecian, 548 Art, first condition a work of, must fulfil, 433 Association of complementary colours, 845 non-eomplementary colours, 846 Associations bad of colours improved by separating them with white, 240 binary colours critically considered, 844 complex colours critically considered, 860 Assortment of frames with pictures and engravings, 564 furniture with the wood of chairs, 557 Assortments in which black is inferior to white, 243; in which it is preferable, 241 in which grey associates more favourably than black, 246 of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet with white, black, and grey, 181 August, association of flowers for the month of, 759 B. Bad assortments of colours improved by white, 249; by black, 241, 242 Beautiful, idea of the, from what it proceeds, 907 Beauvais tapestry, elements of, 393; subjects on, 395; patterns of, 396 Bed-curtains, 634 Binary mixture of primary colours in threads, 380 associations of colours in a critical point of view, 844 Black, gradation of colours by, 163, 164, 165 skins, women with, 726 drapery, influence of, on the complexion, 694 results from mixing the three primary colours, 156 influence of, on contrast of tone, 53; on contrast of colour, 54...

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Science

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1855

About the author

Michel Eugène Chevreul (31 August 1786 – 9 April 1889) was a French chemist whose work with fatty acids led to early applications in the fields of art and science. He is credited with the discovery of margaric acid, creatine, and designing an early form of soap made from animal fats and salt. He lived to 102 and was a pioneer in the field of gerontology. He is also one of the 72 people whose names are inscribed on the Eiffel Tower; of those 72 scientists and engineers, Chevreul was one of only two who were still alive when Gustave Eiffel planted the French Tricolor on the top of the tower on 31 March 1889 (the other being Hippolyte Fizeau) and was the last living individual born before the French Revolution.

Reviews

[Shine Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful and fascinating book about the different phemomenae of colours in relation to each other and the applications these principles have on various forms of art and industry such as painting, print making, gardening, archtecture etc.
This book will offer immence insight and understanding of colours for everyone who reads it, a must read for every visual artist.
( If any of my goodreads friends would like to see my paintings, they can check them out at my fb page, - ' Artist Shine SJ, Kerala ' )

[Erika Mulvenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exhaustive read. So much detail, so much minutia in endless lists of color harmonies, contrasts, and the like. Still, it was worth it to read Chevreul's ideas and theories about colors and how the interact with each other when viewed by the human eye. I can totally see how this book was a direct influence on Pointillism, Impressionism, and Neo-Impressionism.

I read the Faber Birren edition of this book, and I'd say his extra commentary and information added make this an invaluable book to read. Recommended for any artist, designer or quilter interested in learning more about Color Theory.